Ashley Kelly, wife of Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Joe Kelly, is celebrating the holiday season with a special gift from new acquisition Shohei Ohtani, who reciprocated after she offered up Joe’s No. 17 jersey via a social media campaign.
Ohtani surprised Ashley on Saturday by delivering a new silver Porsche to her as a gesture of gratitude. A video shared by the Dodgers on social media captured the moment when Ashley opened her front door to find the luxurious car parked outside.
“It’s yours. From Shohei,” the delivery driver informed her. “He wanted to gift you a Porsche.”
Ashley had launched a playful #Ohtake17 campaign urging Ohtani to join the Dodgers, showcasing all the No. 17 gear in their home and even humorously suggesting renaming their baby Kai to ShoKai.
Joe and Ashley Kelly (Credits: Getty Images)
Her efforts gained attention after Ohtani signed a historic 10-year, $700 million deal with the Dodgers earlier this month.
In response, Ashley posted a video on Instagram tossing all her No. 17 Kelly jerseys onto her front lawn and rebranding Joe’s shirt as “Kelly 99” with a Sharpie.
Joe Kelly, who had worn No. 17 since 2019, willingly relinquished the number to Ohtani, who had previously worn it during his six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels. As a result, Joe will now don No. 99 for the Dodgers.
“I wasn’t going to give it up to just anybody,” Kelly remarked after Ohtani’s signing. “If Shohei keeps performing, he’ll be a future Hall of Famer and I’ll be able to have my number retired. That’s the closest I’ll get to the Hall of Fame.”
